Full HD rather than Quad HD+ display on previous model. Dongles required for VGA and Ethernet. Slightly higher price than previous iteration.

Bottom Line

The Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition should be on your short list if you want a premium, long-lasting ultrabook, but don't need a higher-than-HD display.

Samsung knows a thing or two about making top-notch ultraportables and ultrabooks, and the new Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition ($1,499.99 as tested) shows that it's still one of the best in the category. The follow-up to the top-rated Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, the new Book 9 2014 Edition has most of the traits that wowed us in the past, like a slim design, premium lightweight construction, and a battery that lasts all day. This new model, however, loses the impressive display seen on the Book 9 Plus, and while the improved battery life and larger display size do help make up for it, it's not quite enough to take top honors.

Similar Products

The Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition marks a slight change in naming convention since the previous iteration. Last year, the Book 9 was available in two configurations, the premium Book 9 Plus and the lower-powered (but less expensive) Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite. With this new model, the "Plus" and "Lite" names are discarded, with just a single Book 9 configuration that keeps most (but not all) of the high-end offerings of the Plus and is a significant step up from the Lite, making it simply the Book 9 2014 Edition.

Design Measuring 0.5 by 12.6 by 8.80 inches (HWD) and weighing just 3.92 pounds, the new Book 9 is slim and light, but it's also very sturdy and substantial thanks to an aluminum chassis and improved keyboard, which provide a very solid feel to the highly portable ultrabook. It has the same sleek curves as the previous Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, but with a slimmer overall profile and narrower bezels around the display. The result is a lighter laptop that packs a larger 15.6-inch capacitive touch display into a similar overall size. That larger display also accounts for the slightly higher list price, which makes the Book 9 2014 Edition $100 more expensive than the previous Book 9 Plus.

Though larger, the new Book 9's display takes a step backward from the impressive 3,200-by-1,800 resolution of the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus's screen, or even the 2,560-by-1,440 resolution of the Editors' Choice Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7s Touch. Instead, there's a 1,920-by-1,080 screen, which is more common to midrange ultrabooks. This display is brighter, with 300-nits backlighting, but the Full HD display isn't particularly compelling. The one benefit of the lower-resolution display, however, is the improved energy efficiency, extending the battery life by hours.

The keyboard has subtly sculpted keycaps, a surprisingly deep 1.3mm of key travel, and a soft-touch matte finish on the individual keys. It also offers backlighting, for easy typing in low-light conditions. The touchpad is quite large, measuring 4.25 by 3.2 inches, with a silky smooth surface and full support for Windows 8 gestures.

Samsung uses a Wolfson digital-to-analog chip for better audio and recording, and partnered with Dolby to develop custom compression algorithms that reduce the flattening experienced when listening to compressed audio. To my ear, that sound is good when heard through the laptop's built-in stereo speakers, but the real magic happens when listening with high-end headphones; that's when FLAC files play back with better than CD quality audio.

Features On the sides of the slim ultrabook, you'll find a surprising number of ports and connectors, given the lack of space. On the left, there's a full-size HDMI output, one USB 3.0 port, a stereo headset jack, and a tiny port for Samsung's small Ethernet adapter dongle (included). On the right, you'll find two more USB ports (one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0), a Kensington case-lock slot, and another small adapter port, this time for VGA ($39.99, sold separately). Also on the right side of the system is an SD Card slot, with a spring-loaded cover that keeps out dirt and grime whenever the slot isn't in use.

To maintain the slim dimensions and speedy performance of the ultrabook, the Book 9 is outfitted with a 128GB solid-state drive, which offers fast boot and wake times, and snappy performance. What it doesn't offer much of is storage space—the Gigabyte U2442T-CF1 combines a 128GB SSD and a 750GB hard drive for more capacity.

Samsung includes a few preinstalled programs on the system, though not many that would be classified as bloatware. Samsung Link lets you share content with other Samsung devices, or stream media to a Samsung Smart TV. Samsung's S Player+ provides more file format support than Windows 8 does, and offers better support for lossless file formats. For photos, Samsung offers both S PhotoStudio and a complimentary copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 11. Samsung includes a one-year subscription of Norton Internet Security Suite and covers the Book 9 with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

Performance The Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition comes with a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-4200U processor and 8GB of RAM—the same CPU as the previous Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, but with twice the memory installed, resulting in noticeably improved performance. For example, in Photoshop CS6, the new Book 9 finished in 4 minutes 49 seconds, more than a full minute ahead of the previous Samsung Book 9 Plus (5:51). But while the increase in memory did eke better performance out of the same CPU, it's not enough to compete head to head with a faster processor. The Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7s Touch, for example, boasts a faster Core i7 chip, and plowed through Photoshop in 4:37. It also offers significantly better performance in PCMark 8 with 2,344 points, where the Book 9 scored a still respectable 913 points. That said, the Book 9 is made for general users who demand fast performance, while the Kirabook is aimed at creative professionals who need more power to prevent being bogged down while they work.

Equipped with Intel's integrated graphics solution—Intel HD Graphics 4400—the Book 9 may not be ready to take on 3D gaming, but it should meet all of your other needs, from streaming movies and rendering web pages to editing photos and video clips. In 3DMark, the system scored 4,274 points under CloudGate (the medium settings test) and 267 points under FireStrike Extreme (the high detail settings test). Gaming, as mentioned earlier, is mostly out of the question, as the Book 9 2014 Edition failed to produce playable scores in any of our gaming tests, under any settings.

The best aspect of the new Book 9, however, is its battery life, lasting 11 hours 26 minutes in our rundown test. This is a dramatic improvement over the previous iteration (8:15), and leaves all other competitors behind by a similar margin. This improvement is largely due to the change in display resolution, making it a trade-off that many will find worthwhile.

Conclusion While I was sad to see that the Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition didn't offer the same higher-than-HD screen seen on the previous Book 9 Plus, it was one of the only disappointments in an otherwise premium ultraportable. The slim design and sturdy aluminum build is just as impressive as ever, and the larger 15.6-inch display offers more screen real estate in roughly the same package, not to mention the all-day battery life, a healthy port selection, and improvements to the keyboard and sound quality. The Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7s Touch is our Editors' Choice for high-end ultrabooks, largely due to its own 2,560-by-1,440 resolution screen and lightweight magnesium construction. It takes the top spot due to its premium features, but the new Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition comes in as a close second, and is recommended for anyone who wants a premium ultrabook, but doesn't see the need for a higher-than-HD display.

About the Author

Brian Westover is an Analyst for the Hardware Team, reviewing laptops, desktops, and storage devices.
As a child, Brian was frequently asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" His answer alternated between Superman and Batman. This was cute when he was five, but worrisome at seventeen. Naturally, he is now a journalist, writing about tec... See Full Bio

Samsung Ativ Book 9 2014 Edition

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.